Mães HIV positivo e a não-amamentação / HIV positive mothers and the not breastfeeding

OBJETIVOS: compreender o significado da experiência de não amamentar e as razões que levam as mães a seguirem tal recomendação. MÉTODOS: estudo qualitativo onde a fenomenologia social foi tomada como referencial teórico-metodológico. O grupo estudado consistiu em 17 mães de um ambulatório infantil. Algumas mães eram HIV positivo, algumas apresentavam um status de infecção não determinado. Utilizou-se o método de análise de conteúdo. RESULTADOS: entre as razões destacadas para não amamentar, foram identificados sentimentos de não se considerarem completas e valorizadas como mães. Vivenciar a não-amamentação implica na reestruturação da relação mães/bebê, traz preconceitos e discriminação. A não-amamentação é uma forma de impedir a infecção do bebê pelo HIV e uma forma de eximir-se de culpa, obtendo assim perdão da sociedade. CONCLUSÕES: os resultados mostram que "não amamentar" - conduta indentificada pelo enfaixamento dos seios - é considerado doloroso e punitivo. Envolve o desejo de manter sadio o bebê e, mais do que aspectos biológicos, implica em questões sociais, culturais e emocionais. Parecem indicar ainda falta de atenção dos profissionais da área da saúde ao sentimento das mães, quando essas enfrentam o dilema da não-amamentação.

OBJECTIVES: understand the implications of preventing mothers from breastfeeding and the reasons they follow recommendations not to breastfeed. METHODS: a qualitative method where social phenomenology was used as a theoretical and methodological reference. The group consisted of 17 mothers in an outpatient pediatrics clinic. Some of the mothers were HIV positive; some had a non determined infectuous status. The content analysis method was used. RESULTS: being prevented to breastfeed made mothers feel unfulfilled and belittled. Avoiding breastfeeding implies changing the mother and baby relationship. Prejudice and discrimination are present. Choosing not to breastfeed is a way to protect babies from HIV contamination avoiding guilt and winning Society's forgiveness. CONCLUSIONS: results indicate that "breastfeeding prohibition"- displayed by breasts in dressing - is considered painful and harsh. It involves the wish of maintaining the baby healthy based more on social, cultural and emotional issues than in biological ones. It seems to indicate that healthcare professionals ignore mothers' feelings when these mothers are faced with the problem of not being able to breastfeed.

The right to love: the desire for parenthood among men living with HIV.

Drug regimens and procedures now exist that will prevent parents from transmitting HIV to infants, and the ethical and legal obligation to promote and protect the reproductive rights of those living with HIV should form part of training for HIV/AIDS care and prevention. This paper reports a study that investigated issues of sexuality and reproduction with 250 Brazilian men living with HIV in São Paulo. We asked whether they wished to have children and whether health professionals in HIV/AIDS treatment clinics that they attended were supportive of their wishes. Health professionals were not considered by most participants to be supportive enough or even impartial about HIV-positive people having children, and paid little attention to men's fathering role. 80% of the men had sexual relationships, and 43% of them wanted children, especially those who had no children, in spite of expectations of disapproval. Few of the men received information about treatment options that would protect infants, however. In previous studies with HIV-positive women attending the same clinics, by comparison, greater knowledge about prevention of perinatal HIV transmission was reported, but women had fewer sexual relationships, fewer desired to have children, and they expected even more disapproval of having children from health professionals. We conclude that the rights of those with HIV to found a family depend as much on curing the ills of prejudice and discrimination, including among health professionals, as on medical interventions.

The Right to Love: The Desire for Parenthood among Men Living with HIV

Drug regimens and procedures now exist that will prevent parents from transmitting HIV to infants, and the ethical and legal obligation to promote and protect the reproductive rights of those living with HIV should form part of training for HIV/AIDS care and prevention. This paper reports a study that investigated issues of sexuality and reproduction with 250 Brazilian men livingwith HIV in Sa˜o Paulo. We asked whether they wished to have children and whether health professionals in HIV/AIDS treatment clinics that they attended were supportive of their wishes. Health professionals were not considered by most participants to be supportive enough or even impartial about HIV-positive people having children, and paid little attention to men’s fathering role. 80% of the men had sexual relationships, and 43% of them wanted children, especially those who had no children, in spite of expectations of disapproval. Few of the men received information about treatment options that would protect infants, however. In previous studies with HIV-positive women attending the same clinics, by comparison, greater knowledge about prevention of perinatal HIV transmission was reported, but women had fewer sexual relationships, fewer desired to have children, and they expected even more disapproval of having children from health professionals. We conclude that the rights of those with HIV to found a family depend as much on curing the ills of prejudice and discrimination, including among health professionals, as on medical interventions. A 2003 Reproductive Health Matters. All rights reserved

Fatores associados com o comportamento sexual de risco e seguro entre homossexuais masculinos: revisäo / Factors associated with risk and safe sexual behaviour among homosexual men: a review

Desde o começo da epidemia da AIDS os homossexuais masculinos têm sido um dos grupos mais afetados pela infecçäo pelo HIV. Um grande número de estudos tem examinado os possíveis fatores associados com comportamento sexual de risco entre os homossexuais. Nesta revisäo alguns destes fatores tais como fatores demográficos, psicosociais, situacionais e comportamentais säo apresentados